Down The Road (Bluegrass Songs Of Flatt & Scruggs) - Bluegrass Album Band (The)

Advantages: It's the best of 'pop country'
Disadvantages: It's the best of 'pop country'

...offered in that fine North Dakotan settlement. I can't remember the first song I heard but after two or three, including 'Prayin' for Daylight' from the Rascal Flatt's first album, I was hooked. It helped that it was summer - country music is made for summer. Country music doesn't have the depressed lyrics of the blues, nor the incessant plinkety plink of bluegrass (much as I like a bit of bluegrass now and again - who doesn't). The songs often have meaningful lyrics that add up to a story. There's a huge range of country music out there - it's not all Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton. The Dixie Chicks are a fairly well-known middle-of-the-road example and then the 'pop country' music style is, as the name suggests, a kind of crossover - Leanne Rimes, Shania Twain and Sara Evans are other examples. But my favourites are the Rascal Flatts. (And... Read review

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Advantages: Full of superbly written and performed tracks
Disadvantages: None

...rating: 10/10) "Already Gone" really speeds things up. Maybe not the best song on the album and by no means the best lyrics, but it does get the old foot tapping. It has a catchy rock sound to it and, in Glen Frey's words, it was him being free! (My rating: 8/10) "The Best Of My Love" slows things down once again. A very emotional track telling how the guy's love just wasn't enough for this girl. She wanted everything - all he had to give her was his love. Aah… (My rating: 9/10) "James Dean" is based on the real life events of the 50's movie icon, particularly his death in a car crash in 1955. I love the classic line of this song " along came a Spyder, picked up a rider and took him down the road to eternity". For anyone not familiar with the events of Dean's death, he was driving a Porsche Spyder when he was killed. This... Read review

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Advantages: A Fantastic three-piece country group from the US
Disadvantages: Some tracks don't fit in

..., and that maybe you will fall down along the way, but learn to "decide you've had enough, you get mad, you get strong, wipe you hands, shake it off and then you stand." This is a good motivating song if you're feeling down or beat. By the time the song comes to an end you are thinking - yeah, I can do this! 2. What Hurts The Most 3:34 This is my favourite track on the album, and getting on for my all time favourite Rascal Flatts song. Unfortunately it's in a key that I just can't sing along at all! This one is also quite pop-y and wouldn't be out of place if it came onto UK mainstream radio. It's so sad, and beautiful. At the concert, they had the video playing on huge screens behind them, and it was just so powerful. The video tells the story of a guy and a girl, who initially split up because the girl's dad doesn't like him, but then... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful